A View of Downtown Houston

The sun came out earlier today.  (The photo below was taken from the
29th floor of a building in Greenway Plaza, facing South East, 132 degrees. 
Downtown is visible as the cluster of buildings in the center of the
photo).

3 Starbucks, 1 Corner

At the corner of West Gray and Shepherd there have been two Starbucks on opposite corners for years. A new Barnes & Noble bookstore has been built where the 1930's art deco building once stood on the North East corner. Even though there is a Starbucks on that corner with a drive through, a new Starbucks has opened in the Barnes & Noble store.


The Houston Chronicle has a brief article on the 3 Starbucks at one intersection phenomenon, as well as a video: Comedian gives two cents on Starbucks corner.

Houston's Museum District

A recent visit to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Rothko Chapel has rekindled a dormant desire for more culture.  I enjoy the hell out of museums, history and zoos. 

HMNS is currently exhibiting the Terracotta Warriors.  This is a fascinating exhibit and definitely worth the price of admission.  There's another interesting site in the Houston area having to do with the Terracotta Warriors, the Forbidden Gardens in Katy.


From the Forbidden Garden's website:

Forbidden Gardens offers 9 different exhibits from our army of 6,000 1/3 scale Terra-Cotta soldiers to an Emperor's dining table. Our weapons room contains replicas of some of the weapons discovered with the terra-cotta army. The Calming of the Heart Lodge, or the Summer Palace, was a vacation getaway for those who lived and worked in the Forbidden City. The architecture room features a 1/20 scale model of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, that is split to view the architectural style of the roofing of the Imperial City.

Check out the Houston Museum District's website: http://www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org/

Additionally, here's a map of the museums in the area: http://houstonmuseumdistrict.org/default.asp?id=144



Inside the Rothko Chapel

Government begins house to house search for guns

In a view of more intrusion to come by the federal government, the ATFE is going house to house searching and questioning law abiding Texans about their firearm purchases. 

This will increase as the government begins to strip away our liberties, one by one, starting with the 1st and 2nd amendments.

It all began with the Drudge Report headline linking to the Houston Chronicle article: Federal agents hunt for guns, one house at a time

 

It's a Hot One!

 

I clipped my iGoogle homepage weather widget... and the verdict is: "it's hot!"  The thermometer in my truck read 104F in the shade earlier.

104F = 40C

More photos from Ike

Over at Flickr thejulius has posted photos from the Bolivar Peninsula that document the devastation from Ike all these months later.

Below are three photos from the set, but hit the jump and check out the rest of the photo stream: Ike: Forgotten Hurricane

 

The Bolivar Peninsula:

8 Months After Ike

Here's a photo from a Flickr site of the last house standing on the Bolivar peninsula after Hurricane Ike.  Two friends had flown to Lake Charles in a Cessna and on the way back passed by the peninsula with a camera:

Click on the photo to read his description.

Houston Police Department - Camaro

I was recently asked by the Houston Police Department group on Flickr for permission to use one of my photos from the Houston Auto Show for their group (http://www.flickr.com/groups/hpd/pool/).

The photo added to the HPD Group

So I surfed over to the HPD group and was looking through some of their photos.  I came across this photo of a HPD blue Camaro.  I remember being pulled over years ago by a HPD Camaro on 610.  I think that was back in 1999.

The Zap Car

Here's a company with some interesting vehicles:  Zap

 

 

Or if you want, you can check out Bajaj USA.  I actually have seen Bajajs on the streets of Houston.

Catalytic Converter Thefts in Houston

A colleague, Mike, and I went to the West Oaks mall to buy a gift for another colleague who's last day is Wednesday.  We decided to stop first for lunch at the Applebee's at the periphery of the mall.  We were inside for just over half an hour and when we came out and Mike started his truck the engine roared to life.  The exhaust sound was much louder than it should be so we checked his truck out.  Looking under the Tundra he noticed his catalytic converter had been sawed off. 

As we went into the Mall another Toyota SUV roared to life.  We approached the guy and looked under his truck and sure enough his catalytic converter had been stolen as well.

View Larger Map

When we got back to the office Mike called around and a Toyota dealership told him it would cost $1200 dollars each for the to catalytic converters he needs for his truck.  He then called O'Reilly's Auto Parts and the guy on the other end of the phone told him that he, too, had his stolen recently.

Apparently the thieves were getting $25-$30 a piece at scrap metal places earlier this month when metals were more expensive. 

Not to be outdone my sister had her rental car stolen at a hotel near the airport the Friday before Christmas.

'Tis the season.

FanHouse Examines Jersey Options for Fans

Here are two articles on what fans shouldn't wear to NFL games.  Most of these photos were taken at Reliant Stadium:

A long list of funny and questionable sightings:

FanHouse in the Stands: NFL Game Attire: What Not To Wear - NFL FanHouse

The Epic Failure:

FanHouse in the Stands: This Guy Needs to Turn in His Man Card - NFL FanHouse

Still Deaf From AC/DC

I went to the AC/DC concert last night and it was AWESOME!  It's the best performance I've ever seen live.  It's the first concert I've been to at the Toyota Center and I was pleased with it.

Answer, a rock band from Dublin, Northern Ireland opened for them with a great set.  I couldn't believe how loud it was, though.  I should have expected it, I mean I was going to an AC/DC concert.

If you speak to me today, though, don't be surprised if you have to repeat yourself in a louder tone.

Harris must pay $525,000 for sign blocked by I-10 bridge | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

I'm outraged this morning over an article  I read in the Houston Chronicle regarding a Clear Channel billboard near I-10 (West-bound & Highway 6).  Judge Jacqueline Lucci Smith ordered the county to pay Clear Channel the $525,000.  Apparently Judge Smith doesn't believe motorists can still see the sign.

Harris must pay $525,000 for sign blocked by I-10 bridge | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

BILLY SMITH II CHRONICLE

At issue is a 25-foot limit on surrounding structures that Clear Channel has rights to from when it purchased the visibility easement in 2001.  The HOV off-ramp apparently violates the visibility easement agreement. 

What really upsets me is that half a million dollars is being paid to Clear Channel AND they get to raise the billboard by the city.  I passed the billboard this morning and it is CLEARLY visible (see photo below). 

Then Harris County Toll Road Authority Director Gary Stobb is quoted blowing off the size of the settlement as just an additional cost to the Katy Freeway expansion project.  And that is the problem with public officials spending tax dollars.  It isn't their money so they JUST DON'T CARE.  

Stobb downplayed the significance of the settlement, saying the amount is a fraction of the $250 million HCTRA invested in the Katy Freeway expansion. The highway project cost $2.8 billion overall. "It's not like we built the wrong ramp ... ," he said. "It just is an additional cost to that design solution that wasn't apparent until after it was under construction.

I'm outraged over this settlement.  I will be writing officials about this misuse of our tax dollars. 

Here's a photo I took from my office of the billboard in question.  As you can see from the Chronicle's photo above that the billboard has been stripped to its frame I have outlined the billboard in my photo in yellow.  Click on the photo below to open the full size.

Photos of Snow in Houston

It snowed last night in Houston and I have proof!  :)

There are 9 photos in this album:

http://flickr.com/photos/nonsufficitorbis/sets/72157611037626245/

Biking to work

Jessica Hagy at Indexed has a great post today about biking to work when it's humid out.  Sounds like every summer day in Houston!

 

 

Walking Around Houston

On Saturday morning I went for a long walk through the neighborhood. It turned out to be 4.6 miles in an hour and a half.

The neighborhood is really eclectic. There are half-million-dollar-plus town homes next door to one-storey single family homes next to a restaurant or antique store.


Here's a map of the path I took.

Fwd: Today's driving lesson

So the following is an e-mail from a friend of mine.  He sent it to me this morning.  I thought this was a wonderful start to the day, so I'm sharing it with you.

 

The term "C1" (used in the last sentence) refers to me.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Aug 22, 2007 10:49 AM
Subject: Today's driving lesson

So today I learned something on the road, that I thought I'd share with you. A 'safety moment' if you will....

 

Knowns: I am a very observant person. I take calculated risks. I handle my truck well.

 

Actors: J1Yeage (me) and A1Hole (the other guy)

 

Scenario: I am travelling at 75 mph westbound on IH 610 N in the left lane. Traffic is relatively light between 45 and 290. There is a distant car ahead and a couple cars in the lane to my right. No one is behind me. I have just gotten off of the Hardy ramp to enter 610 westbound and sat in the line waiting to pass the backup that occurs every morning where 45 south dumps onto 610 west. After those slow 4 miles, it's usually smooth sailing until 290.

 

As I mentioned earlier, there is no one behind me and I haven't squeezed my truck in anywhere, blocked anyone, tailgated, or otherwise upset any other drivers (this morning at least).

 

Next thing I know, there is a silver, late model Lincoln Town car right on my ass. He has offset to the left (half on the shoulder) to make we aware of his presence. By this time, because I am traveling 75 in a 65, I have nearly caught up to the car in front of me. There is still a solid wall of cars to my right. There is really no where for me to go at this point. I have been known to tailgate and it really doesn't make me the slightest bit nervous to have someone close on my tail. I continue at 75 with him probably 3 feet off my rear bumper. He is so close, I can see him getting upset in my very large side view mirror. This gave me a warm fuzzy, so I smiled at A1.

 

The car ahead of me slows for the traffic in front and I let off the throttle, but didn't hit the brakes. A few seconds later the car in front hits his brakes, so I am forced to apply mine. A1 also applied his brakes and slipped into a small gap that opened up one lane to my left. When he's even with me, he stares, so I smile back again. His next move is to cut me off, and hit his brakes (standard A1 move, totally expected) He proceeds to drive 35 mph allowing the gap ahead to grow to 300 yards.

 

I figured, "hmmm....I'll ride your ass the whole way to 610 & I-10 if you want me to...it would be my pleasure actually." He ended up doing something I didn't see coming though, he got out of my way and started changing lanes rapidly to the right as we approached 290. As I was passing him, he flipped me off...so I smiled and waved. Then I stopped and he came up to me again, flipped me off again, and I again....smiled and waved while laughing hysterically. I think that made him even madder. It was great.

 

Lesson for today:

"Smile at your enemies C1.....it confuses the shit out of them." - J1Yeage

Don't Throw Out That Carr Jersey --> Improve it!

The Chronicle has an article on how to convert a Carr jersey to a Schaub jersey.

Don't throw out that Carr jersey – improve it
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/5026250.html